Preview: Detroit Dances with Dallas in Home Opener

The Wings look to add to the success they found in Columbus and bring home a win in Detroit's home opener this evening, when the Red Wings face off against the Dallas Stars.  After a terrible start in St. Louis, Detroit battled hard for a win against the BlueJackets, coming out on top by way of a shootout victory thanks to Swiss star Damien Brunner.  Now sitting at 1-1-0, the Wings need to keep the momentum going, despite a rash of injuries that is plaguing their roster.

Detroit's opponent tonight, the Dallas Stars, have managed the same start, just in reverse order of the Red Wings.  Having claimed victory in their home opener against the Coyotes, the Stars went to Minnesota and came away with nothing, losing to the Wild 1-0.

It will be interesting to see now, after one terrible game and one not-so-terrible game, how Detroit's defence holds up against the Stars, including the newest addition to the Detroit blueline, Kent Huskins.  Huskins was brought in to shore up the defenses after Jonathan Ericsson and Carlo Colaiacovo both were lost to injury.  It was hoped that Huskins would be ready to jump in for tonight's match.

They will be dealing with the likes of Loui Eriksson, Ray Whitney, and newly acquired star Jaromir Jagr, who seems to be set to continue his age-defying play as he already leads the Dallas Stars with 4 points.

Which Red Wings squad will show up tonight: The scrappy, tenacious team that took a win by tooth and nail, or the sloppy, lethargic team that looked out of its league in St. Louis?  If Detroit realizes how important these early games are, the answer should be obvious.

Wings Survive BlueJackets, Feels like it Means Something

You've gotta love when young guys produce, especially when they put on a show and win you hockey games in the process.

Detroit went from leading the Columbus BlueJackets 2-0 to trailing in the third 3-2, but clawed their way back thanks to the talents of our resident EuroTwins, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, tying the game back up at 3-3.  Overtime settled nothing, but did set the stage for a dramatic and electrifying performace by Swiss phenom Damien Brunner.

It wasn't even the simple fact that Brunner scored the game-winning goal for the Red Wings, but moreso the fact that he did so with such obvious calm and confidence, pulling a right-handed version of Datsyuk's trademark deke and stuffing the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky's pad.  It was the fact that, on the very first Columbus attempt, the Jackets seemed to take an early 1-0 shootout lead, but Detroit was granted mercy by the hockey gods, as Cam Atkinson looked to have double-tapped the puck before it crossed the goal line and the goal was waved off.

It was also the fact that, after the shellacking we took from St. Louis, we were desperate.  We were desperate to see Detroit win a game and put the previous match behind us.  When we almost let that slip away, it made Brunner's spectacular goal all the sweeter.

Have you forgotten yet that I've talking about a game against the Columbus BlueJackets?

The concerns for this team are obvious, and a trip to Columbus has always been thought of as the write-off, the obvious 2-point night.  Much as we hate to admit it, the NHL doesn't work that way anymore, and anything is possible.  That statement is compounded when you lose two legendary veterans like Nick Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom.  The two areas these players excelled in, Lidstrom's defensive poise and both players' powerplay presence,  have been sorely missed in these last two games.  Detroit is a pitiful 0 for 11 on the man-advantage, and surrendered a shortie in St. Louis.  It was admittedly nice to see Detroit find a way to fight, tooth and nail at times, for a W.  It doesn't always have to be pretty, it just has to be a win at the end of the night.

And speaking of fighting, how about Jordin Tootoo earning his keep this evening? The opening puck-drop brawl between Tootoo and Jared Boll was just the thing Detroit needed to get their energy up and help build a 2-goal lead before Columbus stormed back.  Considering Bobrovsky's circus act in the Columbus net to keep most of the Detroit shots out of his net, had Toots not lead with the knuckles this game could have ended much differently.

I mentioned young kids at the beginning, and how can we not smile and congratulate Brian Lashoff for his 1st NHL goal in his 1st NHL game!?  Way to go, kid.  You played your heart out tonight.  Our D got even more banged up this evening, and you might be looking at an extended stay up top if you keep it up!

Next on the docket is the home opener, and it's going to be another sad one.  Before the game, Tomas Holmstrom will hold the press conference where he will officially announce his retirement.  Afterwards, the Red Wings will host the Dallas Stars and their newest high-profile acquisition, Jaromir Jagr.

Should be interesting, Wingnuts. Till next time!

Let's Go Red Wings!!

The Blues' Clues: What St. Louis taught Detroit in Season Opener

Well now, that was...something.  That was definitely something.

What -it- was, sadly, was the Red Wings' first game of the season against the highly touted St. Louis Blues, and boy was it a stinker.  Detroit came into this opening game with all the same question marks that loomed before and during the lockout.  By the time the game was over, those question marks just hovered a little more menacingly over the head of Hockeytown.  With five special teams goals--four on the power-play and one short-handed--the Blues absolutely handed it to Detroit this evening, cruising along to a 6-0 victory.

Of the questions that were looming prior to opening puck-drop,  the defensive corp was arguably the largest.  Although there is rust from the lockout, the excuse falls flat as every team is dealing with the same thing.  St. Louis, by comparison was defensively solid all night long, manhandling the Wings every time they got any sort of a sniff at a scoring chance.  Detroit was outshot, outhit and outworked.  The Wings did manage to win the majority of face-off chances, but a hit from David Backes or anyone else on St. Louis and the puck was promptly turned over.

It only took a little over six minutes for the end to come, as Vladimir Tarasenko netted his first NHL goal thanks to terrible coverage by Kyle Quincey, making it 1-0 St. Louis.  This would eventually be the game-winner.  Kyle Quincey actually made a pretty good bid for player of the game...just for the Blues, not the Red Wings.  Similarly in the second period, score now 2-0, Quincey missed his mark again, and got burned by Tarasenko a second time to make it 3-0 St. Louis under a minute into the second frame.  All three goals to this point were power-play goals.  Fifteen minutes later, T.J. Oshie would be gifted a scoring chance while short-handed, and did not disappoint the onlooking Blues fans, making it 4-0.  The third period did not prove any gentler for Detroit, as Chris Stewart, recipient of St. Louis' 2nd goal, scored once more--again on the power-play--and brought the rout to 5-0 with just over a minute played.  At this point, coach Mike Babcock mercifully put goaltender Jimmy Howard out of his misery and gave the reins over to new Wings netminder Jonas Gustavsson.  Within another fifteen minutes, though, he too would be breached, as Patrik Berglund got his first goal of the year and made it 6-0 Blues.

So, all told, this was in fact a terrible game for Detroit.  But it is worth noting a few things:

1 - This was the first game back from the lockout, everyone knew there would be ugly hockey for the first few weeks, and this is no exception, it just made our already apparent concerns more noticeable.  Yes, the D was paper-thin and yes, the usual suspects of inconsistency were up to their old tricks, but this is far from the start of a normal NHL season.  Things will improve.

2 - We still have the trade deadline to address issues...like finding some dupe to take Quincey off our hands.  Ken Holland will do everything he can to keep this team in the hunt for the Cup, and with a short season, one hopes that Kenny's list of protected players is very short indeed.  After the lockout rust is gone, players -will- need to step up and play consistently, or risk being sent packing.

3 - Yes, Detroit lost the opening game to a division opponent and did so with a grandiose amount of ugly, but for all the stomping St. Louis laid out on the Wings tonight, they still only got two points.  Should the tables turn in the next meeting between the two, all is square, and it is very possible for that to happen.

So, what did St. Louis teach Detroit this evening? That the Red Wings are very human, but this is more of a reminder than a lesson.  Detroit knows that the odds are against them this season, some argue that their playoff appearance streak could come to an end this season, but Detroit has proven nay-sayers wrong in the past, and are perfectly capable of doing so again this year.

The defense will get better, the forwards will gel.  Detroit's top line of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Brunner were by far the most effective forward line out here, even if that didn't amount to much.  Guys like Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula need to up their game and carry some of the offensive load.  Jimmy Howard needs to forget about tonight's events and focus on keeping his team in games, which he did tonight for long stretches, until the onslaught just went too long and put the game totally out of reach.

Next up for Detroit is a date with another division foe, Columbus.  The Wings are likely looking ahead to this matchup to start working on what they've learned from what was a dreary night in Missouri for the Red Wings.

Holy Smokes, Folks, We Have Hockey this Year!

We're finally here, Wingnuts...!  It's been a long grind since September 15th, but the lockout has officially ended, and Cold War 2012-2013 is over!!

It's going to be a ridiculous sprint-to-the-finish kind of season with the condensed schedule.  Every game means twice as much because points are going to be so precious and important for playoff positioning.  Play is going to be terrible all over the place for the first few weeks due to players on every team not being in game-shape yet.

But you know what? None of that matters, because there is hockey to be played, and a Cup to be won.

Detroit starts this mini-season with more concerns than they've ever had to deal with at once in a long, long time.  Compounding the list above is the fact that the Red Wings' blueline is extremely thin.  The departure of Nick Lidstrom to retirement and Brad Stuart to relocation is impossible to fix in a single offseason--if ever.  Defenders like Kyle Quincey, Carlo Colaiacovo and youngster Brendan Smith are going to have to step up their play to help out the few stalwarts left, such as Niklas Kronwall and Ian White.

Up front, the Wings are certainly better off.  Many of Detroit's forwards made a big splash overseas playing in the KHL and numerous Euro Elite Leagues.  Henrik Zetterberg and his new teammate Damien Brunner were monstrous together on a line, Brunner having led the Swiss League in scoring to this point.  Everyone's favorite magician-with-skates, Pavel Datsyuk, was busy in the K doing what he does best: making sensational plays while providing offensive punch.  Just look around Youtube for recent videos to take in some of that magic.  There are still those forwards who you have to wonder about, such as Johan Franzen.  This will be a year bereft of any mercy towards inconsistency, and guys like Mule cannot afford to be streaky, as scoring droughts could be disastrous.

The Wings are back in Hockeytown, though.  It's time for Detroit to get ready to make another run for the Stanley Cup, and the journey there could be very interesting--and nerve-wracking--indeed.

But what do you think the Wings can do to make the most of this season? Should they focus solely on strengthening the blueline?  Are there any players you feel would be a fit for Detroit at any position that Kenny Holland should make a move for?  Please let me know in the comment section.

Also, be sure to drop by my Twitter and Facebook, @DatsyukianGeek and http://www.facebook.com/DatsyukianGeek and say hi!

That's all for now, Wingnuts.

Let's Go Red Wings!!